


Slow Burn

by Dolt



Series: The end [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Sad Ending, Some Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-16 23:31:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4644141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dolt/pseuds/Dolt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world has ended and the group find themselves running for their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wrong way

**Author's Note:**

> First try sorry if it's bad.

The group had come to Las Vegas for another tour. What they didn't expect was the entire world crashing down around them. To make things worse a strange virus brought the dead back. Now they fought for their survival. 

Niall was at the back of the group as they turned down an alley. It had been two months since the world ended and they had been on the run the whole time. They couldn't stay in one place for too long or it would end badly. Niall couldn't keep his eyes from wandering down Zayn's back to his ass as they walked. He liked the way it swayed as he moved. He shook his head and tried to focus on something else, Zayn wouldn't like him if he knew what Niall was thinking about. Zayn came to a stop and Niall came back to reality as Harry began talking. 

"If we keep watch in both directions we should be able to stay here for the night." Harry said looking to the whole group.

"I don't know Harry. It sounds like trouble waiting to happen." Louis said. 

"Well what do you want to do? Are you willing to risk entering one of these buildings?" Harry replied.

"I don't like that idea anymore than you but we might have to risk it. We can't keep moving forever we need to find someplace to stay for a while." Louis replied. 

"Let's just risk a building for once. We need to rest and gather supplies." Liam said as he looked around uneasily.

They all looked from one another and nodded in agreement. They began walking again and now searched for a place to call home. They passed many old storefronts with their shattered windows and a few banks with crumbling walls. They kept searching until they found 'it'. A hotel with a large wall and gate around the courtyard. The gate was still locked and the courtyard looked zombie free. A promising new find for the group compared to everything else they had come across. The wall was tall but with help someone could get over. The group chose Niall and Louis as the people to send over the wall first. They would look for another way into the courtyard, if they couldn't find another way they would be forced to cut the chain on the gate. 

"Look for a key set of some kind in the security booth and the front desk. If you can't find anything search for a service entrance." Harry told them as people got into position. 

"Don't worry we have this under control." Louis said as Niall was sent over the wall. 

"Be careful and keep an eye out for trouble we don't know what's in there." Harry said as Louis went over the wall.

"Well it's just us three guarding the gate so to speak." Liam said.

"Ya three barely armed men in the middle of the night outside a menacing, closed down, locked up hotel." Zayn said.

"Thanks for making me more nervous you ass." Liam said.

Niall headed straight for the security booth as soon as he was over the wall. Louis had to jog to catch up to him. Niall didn't talk much anymore now that everything went downhill. In fact Louis hadn't heard him talk in about a month. Now that he thought of it he didn't know if any of the others had heard Niall either. Louis frowned as he thought of this. Niall had stopped at the door to the security booth. He was testing the door handle to find its weak point. He found it within a few minutes and jerked it hard enough to snap the lock.

He pushed the door open and went inside. He began searching through desk drawers and the cupboard on the wall. He found three sets of keys. The first was marked security lock up, the second garage, and the third hotel grounds keys. He took all three sets and walked out of the booth and towards the gate. Louis watched Niall as if he were a completely different person. He never knew Niall could break into a locked room. What else didn't he know about Niall? Now was not the time to start questioning things. They had to get the other guys into the hotel and fast. This late at night drew out not only the zombie hordes but survivors who did not look to make friends. Niall was on the second key of the ten marked hotel grounds. He seemed very focused on the task at hand and was working diligently at trying to find the right key. 

After roughly five minutes he had the right key and they were removing the chain to open the gate. When the gate was open the others rushed in and helped to reclose and relock the gate. The three turned and looked to the towering ten story hotel that loomed high above them. No lights were on in the hotel and it gave the group an Erie feeling of dread. The place was huge and lord only knows what might be inside. But it was time to face facts, and the facts were that they were tired of running. They were gonna try their best to claim this hotel as their new home. At least until they were forced to leave by a group that was more powerful than them. 

"We can stand and gawk until we all die a horrible death or we can go inside and figure this out." Zayn said.

"Why are you so dark all the time now?" Liam asked.

"I'm only stating the obvious." Zayn said.

"I say we go in before we lose Niall more than we already have." Louis said and started walking to the doors. 

Harry and Zayn followed without taking a glance at Niall. Liam stayed back to make sure Niall followed in,and to watch him. Niall was different now. Quiet and sad, not loud and happy. He missed his old friend and wanted to figure out what was going on in his head. Only time would tell the truth though was all Liam could think of as an answer. They entered into the main hall where the check in was. It was a very nice building. Dark mahogany walls and vibrant white carpet met them as they entered. Plush leather chairs and couches formed the sitting areas around the room. A large marble fireplace took up an entire wall. White sheets covered all the furniture in the room. It was to be assumed the same could be said for the rest of the hotel.

"This is one fancy place." Liam said.

"I could handle living here for a while." Zayn said.

"No objections here." Louis said.

"Then we are in agreement." Harry said.

The group went in search of a stairwell to find access to the other floors. They found a direction chart next to the elevators. The first floor contained the lobby, pool, spa, and weight room. The second floor was the casino. The third had the two bars and six restaurants. Floors four through nine had hotel rooms. The tenth floor was the presidential suite. The building also had access to the rooftop where the nightclub was located. The group decided they would claim the fourth floor as their own home and use the presidential suite as a storehouse for extra resources they came across. They found a stairwell on the southeast wall of the main floor, between the weight room and the spa. They began their ascent to the fourth floor rather quickly as they found themselves a lot more exhausted than they thought they would be.

When they reached the fourth floor each member chose their own room. Zayn chose the first room on the left from the stairwell while Liam chose the first on the right. Harry chose the second on the left and Louis the second on the right. Niall went to the other end of the hall and chose the room across from the elevators. A bit of a strange choice to the others, but he had changed since the world ended. The group settled into their new home. They took off their packs and put their extra clothes in the dressers. Stored their weapons by their beds and their doors. Put their food and water in the bathroom in the tub. Then one by one they settled into bed with their doors locked and the curtains drawn shut. Outside you could hear the roars of the undead closing in on their next victims. But what startled the group from their sleep was when they heard gunshots from close by. 

They got out of bed, grabbed their weapons and scrambled for the stairwell. Even Niall had come running with the others. They entered the lobby and cautiously moved their way to the front doors for a peek outside. Off in the distance they could see a group of five people standing their ground against an oncoming horde of the undead. They estimated between twenty or thirty undead were in the horde. They waited and watched transfixed by the spectacle taking place before their very eyes. Then as if taken by some otherworldly power Niall went through the doors and headed to the gate, keys in hand. When the others realized what was going on they rushed out after him as if to stop him. He was already at the gate when they reached him.

"To the hotel if you wish to live!" Niall shouted to the group. 

Someone heard him and the group of five came slowly to the hotel. Fighting to push back the tide of undead advancing on them. Niall and the others went forth to aid the newcomers as they came close to the hotel. When they reached the gate and went inside it took all of them to close the gate. They backed into the lobby of the hotel after they had relocated the gate. In the lobby the two groups got a look at each other the newcomers recognized the group for what they were, one direction. The newcomers consisted of three men and two women. All of them young, close to the ages of the band. One of them looked older, he had gray hair and a full gray beard. 

"We owe you for saving us back there." The gray haired one said. 

"Don't mention it. As long as you don't stab us in the back we will be fine." Niall replied.

"You have my word we won't be doing that." Said the gray haired man.

"Your group can have the fifth floor as your home if you want it." Niall replied. 

"Thank you for the offer we will accept gladly. Don't worry we will pull our own weight. I'm Mattias, the others are Jacob, Holden, Kelly, and Claire." Mattias said pointing to a short brown haired young man, then an average blond haired young man, a short brown haired girl, and a tall blond haired young woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I don't mean to be rude but it's late and we haven't slept in a bed in two months so we will talk in the morning." Niall said before leading the groups to the stairwell.

The two groups retreated to their respective floors for the night and went to bed. Through the night as the groups slept the undead continued to roam the city streets, searching for their next victims. Claiming some as they went and losing some of their numbers as well. There seemed to be no end to the undead hordes. Survivor groups were becoming harder to find. In time they may become extinct. Only time would tell the truth. 

The following morning the two groups went to the food floor and scavenged for food. All except for Niall, Zayn, and Louis that is. While the others were gathering supplies Niall was watching Zayn as he jogged up and down the hall. Little did he know Louis was watching him. Niall was getting hard as he watched Zayn's ass bounce as he jogged. And when he came back he watched Zayn's cock bounce. Niall was to busy watching Zayn to notice Louis approaching him. 

"Enjoying the view I see." Louis said from behind Niall.

Niall jumped at the voice from behind him. He hit Louis in the chest.

"You ass! Are you trying to kill me?" Niall said to Louis. 

"Nope just learn what's going on in your little head. Well the one on your shoulders not the one between your legs." Louis said with a smile. 

"Go away." Niall said turning red.

"Come on talk to me. Tell me what's going on maybe I can help you." Louis replied. 

"Why should I open up to you? You're just gonna hate me for it. Or worse you're gonna tell Zayn and he will hate me." Niall replied. 

"No I wouldn't do that to you. I just want you to be happy again. I'm willing to do anything to see you happy again." Louis replied sadly.

"I'm not gonna tell you so just drop it ok?" Niall replied.

"Ok, but if you ever wanna talk I'm here for you." Louis said before walking away.

Niall watched him leave. He wondered if he should have opened up to Louis. At least then he wouldn't torment himself anymore. He just didn't feel ready to come out to the guys yet. Especially not Zayn, he didn't know how he would react to finding out one of his closest friends was gay for him. 

Zayn had stopped jogging a while ago and watched the conversation between Louis and Niall unfold. He watched even now as Niall lost himself in deep thought. 'I wonder what is going on with him.' Zayn thought to himself. He started walking over to Niall. He could tell Niall wasn't paying attention so he went for a head on approach. When he reached Niall he could tell he wasn't paying attention still. Zayn reached forward and grabbed Niall's chin and made him look at him.

"Are you ok?" Zayn asked concerned.

"Ya I'm fine." Niall replied quickly looking shocked.

"Are you sure? You space out a lot recently." Zayn replied.

"Ya I'm ok just thinking." Niall replied.

"Damnit Niall! Why don't you talk to me anymore? What did I do wrong to make you hate me so much?" Zayn asked almost in tears.

Niall stared at him mouth closed and face blank. He could see the hurt in Zayn's eyes and wanted to look away but he couldn't. Finally Zayn let go of his chin and walked away wiping his eyes. 'How could he think I hate him.' Niall thought. 'If only I could tell him the truth.' 'What did I do wrong? We used to be so close.' Zayn thought as he walked away. 'How can I fix what I don't know I did.'

Down in the food area of the hotel the others were hard at work gathering supplies. They were even gathering knives as they found them. The more weapons the better was the thought on everyone's mind. Mattias had suggested the two groups pick a few people to send on a supply run to the clinic down the road. It had been agreed upon that Mattias, Jacob, and Kelly would go from his group, and Harry, Niall, and Louis from the other. Leaving the others to guard the hotel until they returned. 

The following morning the group headed out for the clinic. They would loot the building and return before nightfall. It took them about an hour to reach the clinic and once there they entered finding the doors unlocked. They followed the signs to the pharmacy. They found it locked up tighter than a virgin wearing a chastity belt. They didn't wait long before trying to break the door down. It took fifteen minutes to bring the door down. Thankfully no alarm went off. They grabbed everything they could put it in their bags and headed for the back door as they heard a horde coming in through the front. They got to the back door and found it blocked. They set to work clearing it, meanwhile the horde closed in on them. Kelly and Louis set to work fighting the horde with steel pipes. After a while the door was cleared and the group got it open. Opening the door set off an alarm however. They went through and entered the back alley. Mattias looked around and noticed Kelly wasn't with them. He went back to the door and found it closed. He banged on the door and yelled for her to open it. She told him to run while she held them off. As the group pulled him away they could hear Kelly screaming on the other side of the door. They knew she was gone. The trip home was silent. When they reached the hotel they broke the news to the others. Claire began to sob and Holden was enraged. It took time to calm them down but in the end they knew she would have wanted it this way. 

Niall went to his room and Louis followed him. Once inside Niall layer down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Louis sat in a chair and waited patiently. Hours passed and Niall said nothing. Louis got up and went to leave when it happened. Niall began to cry into his pillow. Louis walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and began rubbing Niall's back.

"I'm a fag ok? There I said it are you happy?" Niall asked angrily.

"I already knew this. And don't call yourself that." Louis said.

"How did you know?" Niall asked.

"It's hard to miss you staring at Zayn sexually." Louis said.

Niall got up and went into the bathroom. He looked at himself and started thinking again. He didn't even notice Louis leave, or Zayn come in. When he looked at the mirror again he saw Zayn staring at him.

"Louis said you wanted to talk to me, that you had to tell me something." Zayn said.

"Ya, it's something big. You might want to sit down for it." Niall said.

"Ok." Zayn replied.

The two left the bathroom and went to sit on the bed.

"Is this about why you hate me?" Zayn asked tearing up again.

"No Zayn." Niall said tearing up as well.

"Then what's going on? Tell me Niall." Zayn replied.

"I'm gay Zayn." Niall said.

"Ok, I don't care you're still my best friend Niall." Zayn replied.

"For you." Niall said.

Zayn stared at him at first then he began to sob. He was crying violently into his hands. Niall didn't know what to do he just froze.

"I'm sorry, I never should have said anything." Niall said as he started to cry.

"I'm not sad I'm happy. I feel the same way." Zayn replied looking up at Niall with a teary smile. 

Niall leaned over and kissed Zayn on the lips. A fiery passionate kiss that had been building for a long time. Zayn returned it with the same amount of passion. Zayn reached for Niall's crotch and began to undo his pants. He pulled them off of Niall along with his boxers revealing a hard cock. Zayn went down and took it in his mouth and began to suck him. It was great it felt so good it made Niall buck. Zayn wouldn't let up he kept going. Niall came with a final thrust of his hips. Zayn drank it all up. The two layed next to each other and fell asleep.

The next morning Niall woke up, face down in his pillow still dressed with Louis watching him. 

"So are you ready to tell me what's up now?" Louis asked.

"I already did last night." Niall replied.

"No last night you cried yourself to sleep in your pillow. You called Zayn's name in your sleep by the way." Louis replied.

'So it was just a dream?' Niall thought.


	2. Questions unanswered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall tries to talk to Louis about what's going on. Harry gets drunk. Mattias kills a horde single handedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter. I am working on the others, feel free to leave comments.

"What's going on Niall?" Louis asked as Niall stared at him.

"It's complicated ok. I don't think I'm ready to explain it yet." Niall replied looking away.

"Ok, I'm here if you ever wanna talk." Louis replied before leaving the room.

Niall sat up in his bed and rested with his back against the wall. 'What happened to me?' Niall asked himself. He had a crazy dream about him and Zayn. He didn't usually have these dreams. Maybe it had something to do with the amount of stress he was under yesterday. 

Outside in the hallway Louis was walking back to his room when he bumped into Harry. Harry's clothes were a mess and he looked like shit. He had the look of a guy who just had a hard night of drinking. Yep that smell was alcohol. Harry had been up all night drinking his cares away. Now he was stumbling down the hall towards Louis.

"Hey Louis! Can you help me get to bed?" Harry said with a drunken smile.

"Ya sure lets get you to bed before you hurt yourself." Louis replied before picking Harry up and putting him over his shoulder.

He walked back down the way Harry came and entered Harry's room. He set Harry down on his bed and went to leave when Harry spoke up.

"You're not done here. I'm not dressed for bed yet." Harry said.

"You're kidding me right?" Louis asked.

"Nope." Harry replied.

"Fine." Louis said walking back over to Harry.

He pulled Harry's shoes and socks off first. Harry giggled and said something about Louis taking advantage of him. Louis proceeded next with Harry's shirt and then his pants. After that he went to leave. Harry made a noise and Louis stopped in his tracks. 

"What?" Louis asked annoyed.

"Tuck me in." Harry replied.

Louis walked over irritated by Harry and tucked him in before finally leaving the room.

Zayn and Liam were down in the casino playing blackjack with Jacob and Holden. Liam had won ten games in a row and the others were looking to beat him. Zayn looked at his cards, he had nineteen. Jacob looked at his hand he had twenty. Holden looked at his hand, he had nineteen. Liam looked at his hand he had twenty. They all showed their hands and finally Liam was beat, by a draw of all things. Zayn and Holden laughed, Liam stared at the cards in confusion, Jacob stared angrily.

"Looks like you've finally been beat Liam." Zayn said smiling.

"Ya, I guess I have." Liam said still confused.

"How is an outcome like that even possible?" Jacob asked angrily.

"It's one of the unanswered questions of the game." Holden replied.

"Well I think it's stupid." Jacob replied.

"At least we didn't bet anything." Zayn said getting up from the table.

"Ya we don't have much to bet anyways." Holden replied doing the same.

Holden and Zayn left the other two at the table and headed for the lobby. Jacob and Liam stayed in the casino to explore it a bit more. Since Kelly's death Jacob seemed affected by it. Not in a lost lover way like Liam would have expected, but as a lost friend way. Liam decided that he shouldn't be so quick to judge. Maybe Holden and Claire weren't a couple either. If he wanted to figure it out he would have to ask around. Jacob seemed like a good person to start with. Liam found Jacob in the cashiers box searching drawers.

"Hey you got a minute to humor me in answering some questions?" Liam asked.

"As long as they don't involve Mattias I will." Jacob replied.

'I wonder what's up with Mattias that he doesn't want to talk about?' Liam thought before asking his first questions.

"What's the deal with Claire and Holden?" Liam asked.

"High school sweethearts that tried to get married but the world ended first." Jacob replied.

"How did all of you get stuck together in all of this?" Liam asked.

"It's a long story and I don't want to bore you." Jacob replied.

"I've got a lot of free time." Liam replied.

"Ok take a seat this is gonna take a while. Ask your questions as we go I'm not gonna answer more at the end." Jacob replied.

"It all started eight years ago. Claire, Holden, Kelly, and I were freshmen entering high school and Mattias was a sixteen year old sophomore. During football season Mattias took us under his wing and decided to mentor us. By the end of football season no one messed with us anymore and Claire and Holden were a couple. When baseball season came our team went to state. At state this other team jumped Holden and I the night before the championship game. Holden had a broken arm and leg and I had a cracked skull. We lost state and Mattias never forgave himself for not being there to protect us." Jacob said.

"Shit that's some bad luck." Liam said.

"Sophomore year went by with no real big things happening. Junior year was a whole other story however. Football season was where things started going wrong. Mattias was a senior and the captain of the football team. The preseason was great and the first game was great. Our second game was the homecoming game and the week leading up to it was where the trouble started. The Thursday before the game we were all sitting down at lunch. Mattias was sitting across from this guy named Adrian Martinez and next to a bug lineman named Nicholas Carr. We were all enjoying lunch and I had got up to go to the bathroom. While I was walking away Adrian tried to start shit by telling the team I was gay. Mattias shot up to tell Adrian off but Nick beat him to it. Adrian kept on with the insults and Nick picked him up and threw him into a trophy case. Nick went to juvenile hall over it. Adrian ended up with his calves cut up and was patched up by the school nurse. He went to the bathroom where I was and tried to get me to have sex with him. He was grinding up against me when I told him no. Mattias and Holden had come into the bathroom to see it and watched as I shoved him to the ground. Mattias walked out with me and made sure I went to the principal. Holden stayed behind to tell Adrian that karma was a bitch." Jacob said with difficulty.

"What did the principal do about this?" Liam asked.

"He expelled Adrian. I walked home with Holden and Mattias that day. Holden parted ways halfway to my house to go see Claire. Mattias and I talked about who we were gonna use instead of Nick and Adrian. Coach wanted Mattias to run the team and the game on Saturday. Mattias said we would use Joey for Adrian and Griffin for Nick. He always had an answer to everything it seemed. When we got to my house my parents were waiting for me. My mom had been crying and my dad was furious. I told Mattias to go I could handle myself. He left but he didn't want to. My mom kept saying she was sorry I had to deal with Adrian. My dad kept trying to get me to tell him where the kid lived so he could have a talk with his parents. I told them to leave me alone and I went straight to bed. The next day at lunch we all saw Mattias had a black eye and fat lip. When we asked him what happened he told us that it was his asshole of a dad. Adrian went over and told Mattias' dad that it was Mattias who started it all. Sadly his dad believed Adrian. I got pretty upset and went for a walk at lunch. Kelly came after me and we had a heart to heart in the library. The following day was the big homecoming game." Jacob said getting sad and angry at times.

"Wow that's fucked up. How did the game go?" Liam asked.

"The game was great we swept the opponent 72-0. After the game I went to the parking lot to look for my mom. When I realized she wasn't there I went to the bus area to call my mom and see if she was coming. The other team walked by and asked if I was calling mommy. I said yes and they replied by saying baby needs his diaper changed. I said fuck off and they jumped me. I was on the ground getting the shit beat out of me and Mattias was the one to come and help me. He got jumped and beat pretty bad. He spent the next two weeks in a coma. When he woke up he had to be told that both his legs were shattered. He had a series of surgeries and ended up with metal rods in his legs so he could be able to walk again. His senior year sucked, he couldn't play baseball anymore and he didn't go to prom. At his graduation his grandfather came to take him home and his dad went to prison. The next year seemed empty without him walking the halls. But when we all graduated he showed up to bring us to Vegas to live while we worked. Then four years later the world ended and the five of us began this fight for survival." Jacob said finishing his story.

"So wait a minute. Mattias is only twenty-four years old?" Liam asked.

"Ya." Jacob replied.

"Wow, thanks for sharing the story. Sorry about all that happened." Liam replied rubbing his neck.

Jacob nodded and got up to walk back to his room on the fifth floor. Liam decided to go and see what Harry was up to. On his way to the fourth floor he passed Louis on his way down the stairs. Liam reached the fourth floor and was heading to Harry's room when Niall ran past him down the stairs. Liam just shook his head and went into Harry's room. Harry was asleep in his bed tucked in and snoring loudly. There was no need for explanation. Harry was drunk and Louis put him to bed. Liam went to leave the room when he saw Harry's clothes scattered about. A question popped into his head. 'What was Harry and Louis really doing?' Liam walked out of Harry's room and went to his own room. He grabbed a few knives, his sharpening stone and sat down in a chair to start sharpening them.

As Jacob walked out of the stairwell and onto the fifth floor he saw Mattias and Claire were arguing about something. Mattias saw Jacob coming and ended the argument by walking away. He went to his room and shut and locked the door. Jacob walked up to Claire with an eyebrow raised in the gesture of a question as to what was going on.

"Some things just don't concern you Jacob. Drop it at that and move on." Claire said angrily before going to her and Holden's room.

Jacob shook his head and decided to go to the rooftop nightclub. A change of scenery would probably do him some good at this point. He went back into the stairwell and began the climb to the rooftop. 

Niall decided he was done trying to hide things from Louis. He got off the bed and ran after Louis. He passed Liam on the way to the stairwell but didn't stop to say anything. Maybe if he told Louis about his feelings for Zayn the pain in his chest would go away. Maybe he would finally have the courage to approach Zayn and confess his feelings for him. Asking himself these questions would get him nowhere. As he went down the stairs he thought of how he would tell Louis what was really going on with him. By the time he caught up to Louis he figured he would just be blunt about it. He had wasted enough time trying to find a way to tell some one what was going on with him. 

"Louis I need to talk to you." Niall said as he grabbed Louis by the arm.

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me?" Louis asked.

"That was then this is now." Niall said.

"Ok I'm listening." Louis replied.

"The thing that is up with me is I am gay. I'm gay for Zayn. I was afraid to tell anyone because I thought you guys would just hate me. I don't care if you do, I just needed to tell someone before I died from this secret eating me alive." Niall said all at once not looking at Louis until he was finished.

Louis was just looking at Niall smiling when he finished.

"What?" Niall asked confused.

"You're my friend Ni, I would never hate you no matter what you did, or are. Besides I had a feeling this was what was up with you after yesterday in the hall." Louis replied smiling.

"Can we keep this between us?" Niall asked relieved.

"Ya, but if the others come asking me about you I'm sending them your way." Louis replied. 

"I can live with that." Niall replied.

The two walked down the stairwell until they reached the third floor where Louis exited the stairwell to search for some medical supplies. Niall kept going down the stairwell heading for the lobby. He wanted to see if he could find the security lockup and see if there were any weapons to be found. He got out of the stairwell and was walking past the wall of windows that divided the lobby from the pool when he saw Zayn and Holden swimming. Zayn's beautiful dark body looked like it shimmered under the water. Niall couldn't help but stop and stare in awe at Zayn as he swam. It appeared that Zayn and Holden were racing in the pool. Niall laughed a little at the thought of them arguing over who was faster in water.

He shook his head and went back to searching for the security lock up. He found it behind the checkin desk. Using his key ring he unlocked the door and entered the room. It had metal shelving unit along one wall and locker units along the other wall. The shelves had various pharmaceutical drugs and illegal drugs on them. The lockers had guns and ammunition. Niall walked back out of the room and locked it. Now that he knew where this stuff was he would be able to use it in the future in the event of a siege on the hotel. Wether the siege was by humans or zombies he didn't care now that he knew where the guns were. 

Zayn had challenged Holden to a race in the pool to see who was the faster swimmer. Zayn had him beat by the end of five laps and the two got out of the pool and started drying off. 

"So you and Claire are a unit huh?" Zayn asked Holden as he dried off his back.

"Ya, been one for going on eight years now." Holden replied honestly.

"Wow that's a good stretch for a couple as young as you." Zayn replied.

"What can I say we were high school sweethearts." Holden replied.

"What about Kelly and Jacob, were they a unit?" Zayn asked.

"No, Kelly lost her boyfriend when the world ended. He threw himself at a zombie to save her. Jacob on the other hand has never been with anyone." Holden told Zayn.

"Well on the bright side at least she gets to be with him again." Zayn replied.

"Ya, that's true. What about you and Perrie?" Holden asked.

"We broke things off right before the prod ended." Zayn replied.

"Is there anyone else in your life now?" Holden asked.

"Nope." Zayn replied.

"Oh. Ok then." Holden said.

"What?" Zayn asked.

"Nothing I just thought maybe you were a switch hitter." Holden replied.

"What gave you that idea? Not that I'm against it or anything." Zayn replied.

"I just thought you were with the way Niall looks at you." Holden replied.

"What do you mean?" Zayn asked setting his towel down and pulling on his pants.

"He was just here staring at you as you swam. He had the look of a lover in his eyes." Holden replied pulling on his shirt.

"No nothing like that." Zayn said turning red.

"Sorry I didn't mean to offend." Holden replied.

"You didn't I just don't think he really likes me that way. I mean he hates me after all." Zayn replied pulling on his shoes.

"I don't know, I don't think he actually hates you." Holden replied before leaving.

Zayn sat down in a chair and started thinking about what he had just been told. Some of it didn't make sense but at the same time it did. He decided the only way to figure this out would be to talk to Niall himself. Now all he had to do was find the boy.

Harry woke up in his bed tucked in rather snug and in only his underwear. The first thing that popped into his head was, how drunk was I last night? The second thing was, who undressed me and put me in bed? The third was, oh god did I sleep with someone's? Harry got himself out of bed and put some new clothes on. He went out into the hall and looked around. No one was in the hall so he figured he would see if they were in their rooms. He checked Zayn's room first, he wasn't there. Then he checked Louis' room, he wasn't there either. Great they all ditched the drunk, Harry thought to himself. He walked over to Liam's room and found the door locked. He knocked on the door and a few seconds later he was greeted by Liam.

"Have fun last night?" Liam asked. 

"Wish I could remember it. Did you put me to bed?" Harry replied.

"No, I think Louis did." Liam replied.

"Uh, we didn't, um, you know?" Harry asked ashamed.

"Not that I know of, but I wasn't there." Liam replied with a frown.

"Great, I might have had sex with Louis. Just my luck." Harry said slumping down on the floor.

"It wouldn't be that bad. At least you know you didn't get an std. Besides you know you like him." Liam said.

"Not like that Liam." Harry said angrily.

"I was kidding." Liam replied.

Mattias came out of his room with his knives, and sledgehammer and headed for the stairwell. He was done arguing with Claire about the horde pressing against the gates. It was time he did something about them himself. If he died then maybe people would learn from this. He went down the stairwell and exited at the lobby. He went out through the doors and moved some barrels to make a way over the wall. He climbed over and bashed in the skull of the first zombie he saw. That got the some of the horde's attention. He went to work bashing in skulls with his sledgehammer. Within half an hour he had killed at least thirty zombies and saw there were at least another twenty to go. He dropped the sledge and pulled out two of his knives. He started stabbing zombies in the top of the head and under the chin. Making quick work of the remaining zombies. When he dispatched the final zombie he looked to the street and saw that it was clear for now. He put his knives away and retrieved his sledge. He set to work building a structure to get him back over the wall. When he was done he went to the top of the wall and shoved the structure over. A good day's work he thought to himself.

Claire was in her room pacing back and forth. She knew it was a stupid idea to go after the zombies, especially a horde. That was trouble waiting to happen. But Mattias had a point. If they didn't push the horde from the gates then more would come and they would be risking a breach. She went out of her room and found Mattias' door wide open and he was not inside. She rushed over to a window and saw him climbing back over the wall unharmed. The foolish things he did to keep them safe would get him killed one day.

Niall rounded the corner heading back to the stairwell when he bumped into Zayn.

"Let's go somewhere private. We need to talk." Zayn said grabbing Niall by the arm.


	3. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn confronts Niall. Harry confronts Louis. Jacob goes missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter, hope you like it. Feel free to leave comments. Thanks for sticking it through this long.

Zayn was taking him up the stairwell. Where were they going? Niall would just have to wait and see what Zayn had planned for him. They kept going up past the fourth and fifth floors. They kept climbing up the stairwell and didn't stop until they reached the tenth floor, otherwise known as the presidential suite. They exited the stairwell into the small hall that served as an entryway to the presidential suite. Zayn walked up to the double doors of the presidential suite and threw them open. Niall could tell that Zayn was angry. Just by bringing him here and acting the way he was Niall could tell that whatever was wrong had to do with him. The only thing he could think of was that Louis had told Zayn. This was the reaction that Niall was expecting he just didn't expect it to be so soon and for it to be from someone other than himself. Zayn gestured for Niall to go in and Niall went in not wanting to anger Zayn more. Zayn slammed the doors shut behind them. Then he walked into the living room area and motioned for Niall to sit on the couch. Niall did so without question. He sat patiently as Zayn paced about the room deep in thought. Niall figured that Zayn was just trying to figure out a way to bring up the subject to Niall. Zayn stopped and raised one finger with his mouth open as if to say something, then he put it back down closed his mouth and started pacing again. Niall just waited politely quiet and patiently.

"Zayn are you going to talk to me anytime soon?" Niall asked after waiting two hours.

Zayn stopped pacing and looked at Niall confused as if he had forgotten Niall was even there. He looked at Niall with his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth turned down in a frown. After a few moments he let out a sigh walked over and slumped down on the couch next to Niall. He had the look of someone needing to ask a difficult question but couldn't find a way and it was destroying him. Niall sat there staring at Zayn with a worried look on his face. Zayn looked into Niall's eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"You've been acting weird ever since the world ended. You were silent for almost two months and you avoided me every chance you got. Now you're talking again but you're talking to everyone but me. I don't know what is up between us or if you hate me but I do know one thing. Holden said you have been looking at me when I'm not paying attention and it's not just any look it is the look of a lover." Zayn said looking at Niall sadly.

Niall's face went from a worried expression to a surprised one then to an ashamed one. He tried to smile so it wouldn't hurt so much but it only made him sad.

"I was gonna talk to you soon but I guess it all comes out now. Yes I have been sneaking looks at you. They go back to before the world ended. I've always had feelings for you somewhere inside me. I've just never had the courage to tell you. So here goes everything. I'm gay Zayn, and I am attracted to you sexually. I understand if you hate me for this and I will understand if you never look at me or talk to me again. Just know this, I have never hated you and I never will." Niall said fighting the urge to curl in a ball and cry.

Zayn stared at him for a while his face unreadable then he looked away and put his face in his hands. At first Niall thought he was thinking then he saw the small shudders running through Zayn's body and realized Zayn was crying. It hit Niall in the chest like someone driving a knife into his heart. He couldn't take it he got up off the couch and walked out of the presidential suite. He entered the stairwell and walked slowly all the way back down to the fourth floor. He walked out of the stairwell and into the hall. He moved as though he were dead inside and his eyes had lost some of their luster. He was moving down the hall to his room. Liam and Harry saw him walk past Liam's room and they walked out into the hall to see what was going on. When he didn't say anything to them they started to follow him to his room. They heard the door to the stairwell open again and they turned to see who it was, they saw Louis stepping into the hall. Louis looked to both of them all smiles but his smile faded when he saw the looks on their faces and saw Niall walking to his room. Louis dropped the bag he was carrying and ran down the hall after Niall. When he caught up with him Niall was already walking into his room. The three boys entered Niall's room and watched him slump down into his chair. Louis got down on his knees in front of Niall and looked up into his eyes.

"Ni? What happened?" Louis asked calmly.

Niall looked down at Louis and the tears started rolling out of his eyes. He tried to say something but if didn't come out. He put his face in his hands and cried. Louis put a hand on Niall's back and started rubbing his back. Harry and Liam came over to show their support as well and the three of them sat silently waiting for Niall to talk to them. Harry kept looking at Louis waiting for an explanation as to what he knew that the others didn't. Louis was to busy trying to comfort Niall to notice Harry though. Liam stood off to the side a little watching Louis handle Niall and thinking about what might have happened the other night between Harry and Louis. Niall started to quiet down and regain control of himself, he wiped his face on his shirt and looked at the others.

"I've really done it this time guys. I don't think Zayn will ever speak to me again." Niall said sadly.

"What happened? Did he hurt you?" Louis asked worriedly.

"No he didn't hurt me. He just came and told me we needed to go somewhere private to talk. He took me to the presidential suite and had me sit on the couch while he thought of how to go about things. Finally after two hours of waiting he sat on the couch and told me that Holden had informed him I had been watching him like a lover would. So I had to come clean and tell him the truth. I told him that yes I am gay and yes I'm attracted to him. He started crying and I left." Niall told the others.

"Oh Ni, you will be ok I'm sure he just needs time to process what he has just learned. I don't think he won't talk to you anymore. That's not like Zayn at all." Louis said.

"Besides if he doesn't like you anymore you still have us Nialler." Liam said.

"Ya this isn't going to change things between us Ni." Harry said.

"I thought you guys hated fags." Niall said.

"Ya we hate cigarettes, not gays, and especially not you. Don't call yourself a fag. It's not a good thing to do." Harry replied.

"You guys like to smoke don't lie to me." Niall replied.

"Not since the world ended. We want to die of old age not lung cancer." Liam replied.

"Thanks for being understanding guys." Niall said.

"Don't worry about it we are always gonna be here for you." Liam said.

"Ya until the end." Louis said.

"Through sickness and in health. Poverty and wealth. Til death do us part." Harry said.

"We are not married Harry." Niall pointed out.

"You get the idea." Harry said smiling.

The guys laughed at that. For a moment they were happy again, smiling and laughing like they used to. It changed when the door opened and Zayn was standing there. The guys got between Zayn and Niall prepared to make Zayn leave if Niall asked.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Zayn asked looking at the floor.

They looked at Niall waiting for his response. He nodded and they left the two alone in the room.

"So have you come to say what a horrible person I am now?" Niall asked.

"No." Zayn said looking at Niall with tears in his eyes again.

"It's ok I understand the feeling isn't mutual Zayn. I've been preparing for this moment for a long time I can handle it." Niall said sadly.

"Shut up for a moment and let me speak my mind before you start assuming things Ni." Zayn said looking hurt.

Out in the hall Liam looked at Louis and Harry before saying. "I'm gonna leave you two to settle things between you and I'm gonna go find Mattias I have some questions for him." Then Liam walked away down the hall towards the stairwell.

"You have something to ask me I assume?" Louis asked looking at Harry.

"Ya I do. Can we go talk in my room? It feels creepy standing outside Niall's room when he's talking to Zayn alone." Harry replied.

"Ya we can do that." Louis said walking to Harry's room.

Harry followed him and the two walked side by side down the hall back to Harry's room. When they went in the first thing Louis noticed was Harry's clothes from the other night were still where he left them. At that moment he realized what Harry was going to ask him and he started laughing. Harry stared at him confused for the sudden outburst of laughter. He followed Louis' gaze and saw his clothes strewn about still where he had found them. Harry turned bright red because he thought Louis was remembering the other night. Harry assumed the worst, they did have sex. Louis on the other hand was thinking how funny it was that Harry would assume something like that. 

"So um the other night, when I was drunk, what did we do?" Harry asked quietly.

"You came stumbling down the hall and asked me to put you to bed. So I brought you in here and undressed you. Then we got in bed and I plowed the hell out of you." Louis said laughing.

"Oh god! I can't believ you would take advantage of me when I was drunk! How could you Louis?" Harry screamed at him.

"Calm down Harry it didn't happen like that. I did undress you but it was only to put you to sleep. I tucked you in and left, nothing happened between us sexually." Louis explained to Harry.

"You fucking jerk! Why would you pretend that something did happen?" Harry screamed.

"Because you assumed I did." Louis said calmly.

"So nothing happened?" Harry asked.

"Nothing happened and nothing will happen." Louis replied.

"Good." Harry said.

"Unless you want it to that is." Louis said with a smile.

Claire had left her room and went to go down and find Holden when she saw Jacob coming out of his room. She thought about talking to him about earlier but decided she didn't need to it really didn't concern him anyways. She walked past him and down the stairwell to the lobby. When she exited the stairwell she found Holden sitting on a leather couch reading a book. It wasn't often that she could catch him reading and when she did she liked to sit by him and cuddle up to his warm body. She quietly walked over and sat down next to him, she cuddled up against him and he put an arm around her. She enjoyed these moments with him. They didn't get very many anymore now that the world had ended and they were always on the run. But it was nice to find a place and settle down even if it was only going to be for a little while. She slowly drifted off to sleep next to him as his warmth engulfed her.

Holden read his book as Claire slept quietly next to him. He was reading a book about Joe DiMaggio and his fifty-six hits at bat in a row record. Back before the world ended it was one of the last records to stand that hadn't been broken in sports history. They called it one of the magic numbers in sports. He was on chapter six and about halfway through it when his eyes started to get heavy. He marked his spot put the book down and closed his eyes drifting off to sleep along with Claire.

Mattias was coming out of his room to go for a walk when he bumped into Liam. Mattias could tell that Liam was gonna start asking him questions and he knew that he probably wouldn't like them. He sighed and gestured for Liam to walk with him. The two entered the stairwell and started climbing up. Liam seemed to be pondering how to word the question he wanted to ask. Mattias waited patiently for Liam to ask him the question that seemed to be important to him. 

"How is it getting around with your legs now that the world has ended?" Liam asked.

"Ah so Jacob told you the story did he? It's not as difficult as you would think it might be. After four years of walking around with metal in my legs I've gotten used to it. It was hard at first yes, but now it is as easy as riding a bike." Mattias replied. 

"Was there anything between you and Kelly?" Liam asked.

"A but gutsy I will give you that. No we didn't have anything special. I wasn't interested and she didn't want anyone." Mattias replied. 

"What about Jacob? He said he would answer any questions I had as long as they weren't about you." Liam stated.

"Jacob is a good kid. I've always had his back because it seems everyone is out to get him." Mattias replied.

"Yes, but what about relationships? He says neither of you have ever been with anyone." Liam said.

"I have not. Jacob is a bit more complicated. He has had opportunities to be in relationships he just won't let himself be in one. He has some issues he wants to work out first." Mattias said.

The two continued the rest of the walk up the stairwell in silence. When they reached the rooftop they exited and went over to the rooftop nightclub's bar. Mattias poured two shots of whiskey and handed one to Liam. The two stayed up there and drank their fill. By the time they had finished they were both smashed.

"I like you Niall." Zayn said.

"I know you do we have been friends for a while Zayn." Niall replied.

"No Niall. I 'LIKE' you." Zayn said putting an emphasis on the word like.

Niall turned red and began tearing up when it dawned on him. Zayn felt the same way after all. How long had he felt the same way and neither one knew about the others feelings? Niall got up and went over to Zayn. He embraced him in a warm hug. The two laughed at the thought of how foolish they had been trying to hide their feelings for each other. Zayn made the first move, kissing Niall hard on the lips. The passion had been building for quite some time Niall could tell. He kissed Zayn back with the same passion. Zayn started pushing Niall backwards towards the bed. When they reached the bed Zayn shoved Niall down onto the bed and started pulling Niall's shirt off of him. When the shirt was removed Zayn began kissing Niall's throat and working his way down to Niall's abs. Niall moaned softly as Zayn went. When Zayn reached Niall's waist he undid Niall's belt and pants pulling them off together along with underwear shoes and socks. Niall's cock throbbed happily for Zayn. Zayn got on top of Niall and started kissing Niall on the lips again. Niall pulled at Zayn's shirt getting it off of him. Then he set to work on Zayn's pants while Zayn kissed his neck. Zayn's pants came off revealing his throbbing big cock. Niall grabbed ahold of it and began stroking it. Zayn moaned a little before repositioning himself so he could suck Niall's cock while Niall sucked his. The two went to work sucking each other. After a short while Zayn began licking Niall's hole, loosening him up for what was to come next. Niall moaned loudly as Zayn licked. Then Zayn got off of Niall and got between his legs. With one good thrust he was inside Niall. He started kissing Niall as he fucked him. As Zayn would thrust in Niall would rock his hips into Zayn. They continued making passionate love long into the night until Zayn blew his load in Niall's ass. Niall blew his load on Zayn's chest. The two fell asleep wrapped in each others embrace.

The next morning everyone was woken up by Holden banging on there doors. He had everyone go to the lobby and wait for him there. When they were all assembled in the lobby he spoke to them.

"Jacob hasn't been seen since one o'clock yesterday afternoon. We think he might have left the hotel grounds for some reason and fear he may be dead. Mattias is asking for your help in tracking down Jacob. Will you help us?" Holden stated.

"You can count on us." Niall said speaking for his friends.


	4. The Sky is Dark and The Night is Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entire group arms up and heads out to find Jacob. A new threat is discovered. Something changes everyone's outlook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fourth chapter. I should have this finished soon.

Everyone went up to the presidential suite to put on their heavy gear. They went up the stairwell single file none of them speaking, the only sound to be heard were their footsteps against the metal stairs. It was clear to all of them the dangers of going out into the world in search of someone who could be anywhere alive or dead. Yet they all had the same silent vow, the unspoken vow of comrades, no one left behind. Their mission was clear, find Jacob. They passed each floor without looking to it. When they reached the tenth floor they exited the stairwell and entered the entryway of the presidential suite. They went into the bedroom and gathered around as Mattias started pulling the gear out of the closet. Heavy leather uniforms and full face biker helmets. The heavy duty stuff that would protect every inch of their bodies. Everyone suited up silently. When they were all dressed they gathered their back packs and started loading them with water, food, medical supplies and ammo. They slid knives into spots all over their suits and picked up their personal heavy weapons. Mattias with his sledge, Holden with his bat, Claire with her golf club, Harry with his hammers, Louis with his hockey stick, Liam with his katana, Zayn with his croquet mallet, and Niall with his ax. They all filed back down the stairwell following Niall this time. He had been placed in charge of storing the guns they found throughout the hotel. It's surprising how many guns you can find in a hotel after the world has ended. The security lockup was now stockpiled to seemingly arm an army.

When they reached the lobby everyone gathered around as Niall unlocked the door to the security lockup room. He opened the door and entered heading directly for the lockers along the wall. Everyone else entered and formed a line waiting patiently to receive their weapons. First in line was Mattias, Niall handed him a 12 gauge shotgun and a 9mm glock 17. Next was Claire, Niall gave her a p90 submachine-gun and a 9mm glock 17. Holden received an m16 assault rifle and a .357 magnum revolver. Harry was given a Springfield sniper rifle and a 9mm glock 17. Liam got an m249 saw and a .44 magnum revolver. Louis was handed a 12 gauge shotgun and a 9mm glock 17. Zayn got an ak47 and a 9mm baretta. Niall took a 12 gauge shotgun and a 9mm glock 17. With everyone armed they left the lockup and locked the door behind them. They walked out the double doors of the lobby and went over to the gates. Niall unlocked the lock holding the chain and swung one gate open. The group walked through and Niall shut and re locked the gates behind them. They surveyed their surroundings and waited for Mattias to give them a direction to head in.

"I say we head for the clinic where we lost Kelly and make our way around that area first. I have a gut feeling he went there." Mattias said grimly.

"If he went there then he must have a death wish of some kind. That area is crawling in zombies by now." Liam replied.

"I'm not gonna leave him to those things. If he's still alive then we have to find him. If he died and turned then we are gonna put him down." Mattias said with fierce determination.

The group set out in the direction of the clinic with no further questions. Eight silhouettes outlined against the early morning haze set out across the street. They had a simple mission find Jacob and bring him home. Simple right? That is if you don't include the fact they are going into heavily infested territory. Ok so it wasn't simple it was a suicide mission. They rounded that familiar corner an hour later and came to that dreaded back alley. It was different this time however. There was a blood trail leading to the back door of the clinic. The back door had been shredded and an ominous orange light faintly showed through, flickering from time to time. The sight sent a chill down the spine and set a fear inside everyone like some cold dead hand clutching tightly to their hearts. The shredded remains of the door appeared to have been ripped apart by some massive creature with razor sharp claws. Each member of the group had a picture of the creature in their mind. Each more horrifying than the last. With this image in their mind they clutched their heavy melee weapon tightly as they entered the clinic. The flickering orange light appeared to be coming from deep within the building, perhaps it was coming from the central mainframe for the clinics computers.

"Remember the rules of survival everyone. Stick together and don't separate from the group if you want to survive. If you are separated head back outside and we will rendezvous at the back alley." Mattias said.

The group nodded in agreement. They looked about as they walked through the abandoned halls. Mattias was at the head, Holden, Claire, Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall formed the center walking in teams of two, and Zayn brought up the rear. The group progressed slowly through the halls of the long silent clinic. They checked each room as they went. Some rooms were covered in blood and had entrails and body parts strewn about. Foul smells assaulted the nose as the group journeyed through. Some sort of unholy creature had chosen this place as its home. Those who entered before had entered alone and therefore lost their lives to the stupidity of their action. Now these eight were in here and as they drew closer to the flickering orange light they became more aware of the sounds inside the clinic. Grunts, screeches, and panting some were loud and close, others quiet and far away. It set the entire group on edge. Just as they rounded the corner and were at the light it went out. There was a blood curdling scream and then the strangest most horrifying screech and the light came back on. The group looked around and did a head count. They had seven people, and fresh blood on the ground, Niall was gone.

"Okay no one panic!" Mattias yelled over the group as they started panicking.

"Where the hell did he go?" Zayn asked.

"Did anyone else see that thing?" Holden asked.

"What are you talking about Holden?" Mattias asked.

The group all looked at Holden waiting for a response. He looked to each of them then he looked at the floor.

"It was this massive thing, it had the heighth of at least three people, and just as wide. It had long sharp claws half the size of its arm. The head was disfigured and looked as if some psychopath had tried to patch it back together. I think it's one othe zombies but it's been horribly mutated." Holden said grimly.

"We have to find Niall before that thing kills him!" Zayn said turning to go down a hallway.

"Zayn wait." Mattias said grabbing Zayn's arm.

"What?" Zayn asked.

"He might be dead. You heard his scream and you saw the fresh blood." Mattias said sadly.

"No." Zayn said trying to pull away.

"Zayn he's right. Niall is probably dead by now." Liam said putting a hand on Zayn's shoulder.

"No! You hear me? No, not him!" Zayn yelled at Liam and Mattias.

"Zayn we need to stick together in this." Harry said.

"Fuck you Harry! He was our friend! Our brother! You're just gonna leave him for dead!" Zayn yelled at Harry.

Harry looked at the ground. Everyone watched Zayn with pity in their eyes. Zayn looked to everyone. He was searching to see if anyone would help him find Niall. They all averted their eyes when his gaze cam to rest on them. Just as he was about to say one last thing to them they heard six shots from a shotgun followed by that screech.

"Move people!" Mattias bellowed as he sprinted off in the direction of the gunshots.

The group followed Mattias hauling ass to catch Niall and the creature. They all had their main guns drawn instead of their melee weapons at this point. Liam was lagging behind a little bit due to the m249 saw he was carrying. Holden lagged back to stick with Liam and ensure he didn't get ambushed. Mattias rounded a corner and saw the creature running down the hall straight ahead. He lifted his shotgun and fired all six of his shells at the creature hitting it in the back mostly. It let forth a bone chilling screech and came to a stop. It turned around and faced Mattias as the others formed a line with him. It lifted a massive claw and pointed to them. Then followed that action with another screech and a tide of undead swarmed out from behind it and charged the group. Dazed by the sheer number of undead rushing him Mattias struggled to reload his gun. Liam shoved him back and filled the gap where he was. He opened up on the oncoming horde with the m249 saw and fragments of bone along with chunks of flesh began to fly as he shredded the oncoming horde. When he stopped to reload Mattias retook his position and added the roar of his shotgun to the the others as they held the line. It was a sight to be seen for sure. Six guns firing upon an oncoming tide of the undead in an attempt to kill the fuckers and their leader so they could find their friends. Liam retook his spot and fired once more, by the time he needed to reload again the horde lay dead infront of the group. All that was left was the big bastard. The others started firing at it and the damn thing stood there taking every shot like it was nothing. It even began to slowly advance on them. The group refused to back down however and soon Liam rejoined with the saw. His last clip loaded into the beast of a gun.

The brute stopped a few yards away and dropped to all fours preparing to rush the group. It started to come at them with great speed. Something flew at it from a side hallway and the two went crashing through a wall. The sounds that came from within sounded as though two massive cats were fighting to the death. The group took this opportunity and rushed onwards calling for Niall as they rushed on. They heard a sound come from a side hallway and they rushed after it calling louder, as thy grew closer to the sound they figured out it was a weak call for help. They came to a room covered in blood and pieces of human remains. Amongst the remains were the bodies of now dead zombies. Sitting against a wall bleeding from a gash in his chest was Niall still holding his shotgun. Zayn shoved everyone out of the way so he could get to Niall. He kneeled beside Niall and started scrounging through his pack for some gauze to stop the bleeding.

"Don't worry Ni, your safe now we're here. You're going to be alright." Zayn said as he started applying pressure with the gauze.

"You have to find Jacob. He's out there somewhere." Niall said with great difficulty.

"I'm not leaving you." Zayn said.

"None of us are leaving you. You're coming with us Niall." Mattias said pulling off his jacket to wrap Niall's chest tightly.

When he had secured the jacket tightly around Niall's chest he looked to Liam. Liam nodded and walked over. He picked Niall up off the ground and held him in his arms. He turned towards the door and nodded for people to start moving again. The group didn't waste any time the sound of the fight was still echoing through the building. No one had any idea what the other creature looked like but they knew it had to be powerful just by the way it took the first creature with it through the wall. The group formed a tight circle with Liam in the center. All were alert and looking around, prepared for an ambush at the next turn. They made their way outside and headed down the street trying to put some distance between them and that hell hole. They travelled for what seemed like two hours before stopping and entering the shell of an old store. From where the sun was in the sky Mattias told the group it was three in the afternoon. They had spent most of the day in that clinic. Now night was fast approaching and they still needed to find Jacob and get Niall home safely. The group took a vote and opted to send Liam, Niall, and Zayn back to the hotel. The three set out for their journey home while the other five set fourth into the ruins searching for Jacob. At around six o'clock at night the five stopped dead in their tracks when the heard that familiar screech again. They got back to back and looked for the creature. It came walking towards them from the southeast accompanied by another creature. It appeared to be a short woman. But a closer look revealed it was indeed undead, but different from the others and different from the brute next to it, (Mattias had opted to call the big bastard a brute and the group had agreed). The two creatures stopped under a flickering lamppost and the short one looked at the group. They gasped and cursed as they saw its face. This thing was Kelly.

It pointed at Mattias and then backed away quietly making the brute follow. When it was about three blocks away it let forth a screech that caused everyone to cover their ears. From all across the city its cry was answered by others, some the cry of other brutes and the others were different than both that of Kelly and the brute. At that moment Mattias labeled Kelly as the siren. The group watched as Kelly left disappearing into the night.

"Come on let's get going. The sky is dark and the night is long. We need to find Jacob and return home fast. We have to warn the others." Mattias said leading the group farther away from home.

They walked onward for a time not stopping until they saw a mass of lights off in the distance. Cautiously they approached the lights, wary of tricks being played by Kelly. When they got close enough to see it better they stared in disbelief. It was a settlement with tall walls and gatehouses. People patrolled the walls from on top and outside. A spotlight was searching the area and spotted them. In moments they were surrounded and led into the settlement. Once inside they were taken to an old police station which seemed to be serving as the Capitol of this settlement. Inside they met a large man with only one eye named Harold.

"Tell me outsiders, what brings you to my home so late at night?" He asked in a heavy voice.

"We have been searching the ruins for one of our friends who went missing yesterday." Mattias replied.

"He is most likely dead." Harold said bluntly.

"We won't know until we find him, neither will we stop until we do." Mattias said stubbornly.

"Courage. I admire that." Harold said as he pulled a knife from his belt.

"We came seeking no trouble with you." Holden said quickly.

"I will let you search among the new refugees in the camp then you must leave. We do not need more guns in our settlement." Harold said as he sat down.

The group thanked him and left the building following an armed guard to the camp in question. They set about searching the camp for Jacob and quickly found him. He was sitting in a corner by himself, bound hand and foot. Mattias called to a guard to release him and the guard complied. They took Jacob and left the settlement making haste for home. What they didn't know was Harold had heard about their little run in in the clinic and under the lamppost. He had begun to take an interest in this group and was forming a plan to find out what was so special about them that the siren wouldn't kill them on sight.

In the early hours of the morning the group reached the gates to the hotel. Liam was waiting for them. He looked like shit as if he had stayed up all night waiting for them. He let them in an locked the gates behind them. When they entered the hotel they immediately noticed a difference. Namely the massive solid steel doors that served as shutters for the windows had come down and were locked in place. Liam explained that he found a way to re activate the solar panels on the rooftop and the grounds to power the generators in the basement. The building had power and water again. When they were inside he pressed a button and the shutter came down barring the double doors. Security needed to be taken now that there were new freaks on the loose. They all went to the presidential suite where Zayn was caring for Niall. Once there Mattias told Liam, Niall, and Zayn about the settlement. Liam opted to play things safe and see if they could work a deal with Harold, Zayn didn't care as long as they didn't go to war anytime soon.

Somewhere off in the ruins on a rooftop Kelly watched the hotel. A guardian of sorts, keeping hordes and brutes away. She turned her watchful eye to the north where a group of Harold's men were approaching from. With the lift of her arm a group of three brutes ambushed and killed the men. She then had the brutes deliver the bodies to the courtyard of the hotel. Then as silent as ever she took them and retreated into the ruins. Harold had watched all this happen from afar and made notes of it all. He had to discover the groups secret and use it for himself. Little did he know the group had nothing to do with what the siren was doing.

Far across Vegas over at Nelis the army was preparing for something, something big.


	5. One Day Soon the Dawn Will Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Army soldiers start showing up in the ruins. Harold rallies his people for an assault on the hive. Kelly does more strange things. The group fights to live another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter five, sorry it took a while.

Zayn watched as Niall fell asleep again. Niall needed to replenish his strength and Zayn assigned himself as the person charged with watching over him. A task everyone knew he would do no matter the circumstance and no one could pry him from Niall's side. Mattias and Liam spent most of their time going over defense strategies and scenarios for if the hotel came under attack. Louis, Harry, Jacob, and Holden found themselves training more often now that the fear of undead hordes and a possible attack from Harold had everyone on edge. Claire wandered about the hotel, slowly clearing each floor one room at a time. She started with the sixth floor and was currently on the second room of the eighth floor. She found an abundance of towels, and cleaning supplies on each level. Along with sheets, pillows, blankets, and the occasional heated blanket. All the supplies she was gathering were being stored in the massive closets of the presidential suite. That was also where all the medical supplies were being stored. Weapons and heavy gear had all been moved to the security lockup. Food was stored throughout the third floor on the shelving units in the restaurants pantries and the water was stored in the massive refrigerators. Barrels had been set up across the grounds to collect rain water and the recent scavanging trips had produced numerous empty bottles and plenty of canned food for now. The extra clothing found in hotel rooms had been moved to the fourth floor and stored in Zayn's room. The entire group resided on the fourth floor for now. Later if they began gaining more people they would need the other floors for them. And the presidential suite was already becoming the hospital.

The men who showed up dead in the courtyard had been relieved of their weapons and ammo then dropped off near the hive as an attempt to keep the disease from spreading to Niall. Pain medications, antibiotics, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, and anti inflamitories were in abundance it had shown by searching the rooms. The lower grade stuff anyways, they didn't have very much of the higher grade medications. Which was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it didn't tempt drug abuse, and a curse because they couldn't fight bad injuries as well as they would like to. In time they would have better supplies for treating serious injuries. For now they would make due with what they had.

Zayn watched Niall's chest rise and fall as he slept. He worried about him, wondering if he was really ok or if maybe something bad would happen and he would turn. A dark thought but one that crossed his mind frequently. He just settled the record about him liking Niall and Niall liking him. He wasn't ready to lose him, but he couldn't help but think he was going to.

Holden was in the main courtyard by the gate taking a short break from the training routine. He had a bad feeling about Harold ever since the meeting that night. Something just wasn't right about what he said to the group. He told them they could look for their friend, but they couldn't stay because he didn't need more guns in his settlement. It just didn't make any sense. With things the way they are now he should have been more than happy to accept the extra people. Maybe Holden was just paranoid. He couldn't take it anymore he had to get the others and share his thoughts. He turned from the gates and went back into the hotel lobby. He went over to the stairwell and began his ascent to the second floor where he would find Harry, Liam, Louis, Jacob, and Mattias. He found them sitting around a poker table talking about possible sniper positions on the rooftop.

"I'm telling you if we can put two of our guys on the roof we can keep an eye on the perimeter. Plus we can better know if an attack is inbound." Liam was saying as Holden walked over.

"Yes, but how will we warn the others from all the way up there?" Jacob asked.

"We fire a shot or something along those lines." Liam replied.

"Yes because the answer to this is shoot at whoever or whatever is near the hotel, perfect. Alert them and cause us to scramble for equipment. They could be on us before we even have a chance to prepare." Louis replied rather irritated.

"Well its not like we have radios or something like that. Besides I don't hear anyone else offering up ideas." Liam shot back.

"The sniper positioning is a good idea yes but I don't see us pulling it off with our current equipment. I'm sorry Liam we are gonna have to find something else for now." Mattias said.

"Holden what is your opinion on the matter?" Liam asked him.

"We can post two people at the gates and have one sniper on the roof top. The rest of us should be patrolling the grounds when we can. Set up regular shifts for watch duty in the various spots." Holden said to the group.

"Since when did you become such the strategist?" Jacob asked him.

"This world changes you when you have to fight for your survival." Holden said coldly.

"You look as if something big is about to go down Holden. Tell me whats on your mind?" Mattias said looking at Holden with a stone wall expression.

"What I have to say is something the entire group needs to hear." Holden told him.

"Then I guess we are moving this discussion to the presidential suite." Mattias said as he got up from his chair.

The others got up and followed Mattias and Holden to the stairwell. They would stop on the eighth floor and get Claire before going all the way up. The door to the eighth floor was wide open. Holden went in alone to get Claire and sent the others on ahead of him. He wandered down the hall checking each room as he went. He found Claire in the room across from the elevators on the other end of the hallway. She was sorting through the closet seeing what all she had to work with.

"Hey sweetheart." Holden said softly entering the room.

"Well hello to you too. Not gonna knock or give me notice that you're there. You could have given me a heart attack." Claire replied to him none to pleased.

"I'm sorry. I need you to come with me to the presidential suite." Holden said.

"Why? What's going on Holden?" Claire asked him worriedly.

"Its nothing too bad I just want to talk to everyone together." Holden told her.

The two headed out of the room and to the stairwell together. Once back in the stairwell they began their ascent to the presidential suite. The two climbed the stairs in silence. Holden was brooding over what he was going say to the group now that they were assembled. He didn't have any proof that Harold would attack he just had a gut feeling. Claire was watching him as they climbed the stairs. Something had been bothering him ever since that talk with Harold. She had no clue what might be bothering him. It left her with a feeling of emptiness when she couldn't figure out what was up with him. Holden reached the door to the presidential suite and opened it entering the small entryway. Claire followed closely behind him. They could hear the muffled voices of the others gathered in the room. Holden let out a sigh and opened the double doors holding them open while Claire went in ahead of him. He shut the doors behind him when he went inside. Everyone turned their attention to him when he entered the room.

"So you have us all gathered are you going to tell us what's up now?" Jacob asked Holden.

"I know that we are all a little rocked by our brief meeting with Harold. But I need to share with you all what I took from that meeting." Holden told the group.

"And what might that just be Holden?" Liam asked him with an edge in his voice.

"What he said just doesn't sit right with me. He told us that we needed to get our friend and leave because he didn't need more guns in his settlement. That strikes me both as odd and a bit sketchy." Holden told the group.

"Ok explain to those of us who don't know what you're thinking." Louis replied.

"The world has gone to shit and it is harder than hell to survive. If I were Harold I would have tried to recruit us into his fold. More guns mean better protection against the undead and whatever else tries to end us. But instead he turned us away. It makes me think maybe he plans to attack us and take what we have." Holden explained to the entire group.

"Ok wait a second there we don't want to start jumping to conclusions. Maybe he just wants to wait and see what we are like before he makes an offer." Liam responded.

"Well what Holden is proposing does make sense. Why would Harold turn us away so quickly when we had showed no sign of hostility towards him?" Harry threw out for everyone to think about.

"Lets look at it this way, how would we react if we were in his position. A group of heavily armed people just show up out of nowhere near the edge of our camp in the dead of night. What would we do?" Zayn said to the group.

"I would keep the gates closed and start questioning them." Louis replied.

"And how is that any different than what Harold did?" Jacob asked.

"Harold let us into his camp and questioned us." Claire told him.

"Well he escorted us in under an armed guard." Holden added.

"Yes but at least we would give them the chance to join us before we just throw them out into the fray." Zayn replied.

"What if the people at the gate just open fire on us when we don't let them in?" Louis asked.

"Then we return fire." Liam stated.

"Well if we go from past experience we just open the gates and help them. We have done it once already and I for one don't regret it." Niall said sitting up in the big bed.

Everyone in the room fell silent as they turned their gaze to him. He looked completely defeated laying there in that bed.

"If we hadn't opened those gates there would be five of us in this building today. Yes maybe Kelly would still be alive and I might be healthy. But on the other hand both our groups could be dead. We need to believe that there is still good out there in this world. Otherwise we will always be at war." Niall said with some effort.

"Alright Niall, alright." Liam said.

"Then we are in agreement, we allow them in and keep an eye on them. If they cause trouble we can handle it." Mattias said to the group as a whole.

The group nodded in agreement. Everyone but Zayn left the room to let Niall rest. Claire and Holden headed back to their room to take a break from their duties for a little while. Louis, Harry, and Liam went to the roof top to look around for good sniper positions. Jacob went to the pool for a quick swim. Mattias headed for the courtyard to inspect the gate.

Over in Harold's settlement people were gearing up. A group of eleven guards were preparing for another assault on a zombie nest. Harold was standing on the roof of the police station looking out across the city streets in front of the settlement with his spyglass. He was looking to see if he could find the siren. She was always nearby and yet not there at the same time. He could see grunts wandering about throughout the area easily enough. Not one single brute was to be seen however. This made Harold uneasy, the brute were big and unpredictable. What made things worse was the fact that they were fast and very hard to kill. Not being able to see them could mean they were massing for an attack on the settlement. Harold had devised a plan to wipe out their leader and scatter the brutes altogether. He was sending a team to clear the clinic where it all started.

"Harold, sir we are ready to head out." Said a tall muscular African American man.

"Good. Lead our people to greatness Victor. Mount that bitch's head on a stick for me." Harold told Victor.

"It will be done sir." Victor said before turning and going to the strike force.

The massive gate screeched open as the team headed out on their mission. The entire settlement had gathered to see them off. Eleven men and women were heading out to make the city a little safer for them. Eleven brave men and women. The settlement would not be lacking in the defense department but it would be a little strange for them to not see these eleven for a little while. It wasn't the first mission Harold had put together but no one ever really got used to the idea of people leaving the settlement on these kind of missions. Victor lead the team out the gate and down a side street taking the quickest route to the clinic to ensure a speedy and effective mission. With Victor in the front he was followed by five groups of two. Everyone had their weapons at the ready and were keeping an eye out for whatever may come at them at this point in time. They got about halfway to the clinic when they saw two army Humvees go by a few yards in front of them. The Humvees were followed by a group of fifteen soldiers. The group froze in their tracks no one had even seen or heard from the army since the world ended. Victor and the others rushed out into the crossroad shouting to the army guys. The soldiers turned around and came back to them.

"Where did you people come from?" One of the soldiers asked.

"We came from a settlement not to far back that way." Victor told the soldier pointing back towards where they came from.

"How many of you are there?" The soldier asked.

"Not very many, one hundred and seven if I had to guess." Victor told the man.

"Why are you out here?" He asked Victor.

"We are tasked with the mission of clearing a zombie nest in a clinic not far from here. We believe that it is where the siren is located." Victor told him.

"The Siren?" Asked the soldier.

"A mutated zombie with the capabilities to control the others." Victor explained.

"You will take us to this nest and together we will end this Siren as you call it. If it means ending the threat of these bastards we have to try it." The soldier said.

As one the large group headed for the clinic. The two Humvees made the group travel by the main road now instead of the back alleys. The clinic came into view about ten minutes later. The group raised their guns and slowed their pace keeping watchful eyes out in all directions. Ever slowly they advanced upon the front of the clinic. It had an eerie orange glow emitting from inside. Victor got to the door and grabbed the handle to pull it open. That's when it happened. The Siren's cry echoed through the streets. It was answered by the resounding cries of numerous brutes and grunts. Before the Humvees could get out of the way they were hit by four brutes, sheering the Humvees in two. The men and women inside were ripped to pieces by the brutes. Blood, bone, and entrails flew through the air. The soldiers and Victor's guards opened fire on the brutes. Shotguns, smgs, lmgs, and mgs rang out in a fury of bullets. The four brutes turned and charged the group. Two more joined from inside the clinic. Grunts started pouring out through the holes in the walls created by the brutes. They were on the group in a matter of seconds.

Victor looked around and saw his comrades falling before the undead onslaught. He did what everyone thought he would never do. He turned and ran back for the settlement. Behind him people were being torn apart and eaten by the undead. He was half a block away when he realized he wasn't being chased. He turned back and watched as the horde went back into the clinic, the siren staring at him as they went by her. The thing that struck fear in him the most was the fact that she was smiling at him. He turned and ran back to the settlement as fast as he could.

Mattias went to the gates and looked out across the city. He couldn't see very far but he could see a little ways. He was watching for any sign of movement. Trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of anything or anyone. After roughly an hour of standing there seeing nothing he turned and headed back for the lobby of the hotel. That's when he heard them. The cries echoing through the city. At first it was the one lone cry of the siren, then it was answered first by the brutes and finally by the grunts. Not long after he heard gunshots and screams as the battle raged forth. Mattias hurried back into the lobby and hit the switch to lock down the entrance. He had no clue who was even out there. But he knew it was a losing battle if the siren was involved.

Mattias headed for the pool to get Jacob and inform him of what was going on outside. He knew the others would be coming down here to get geared up. Mattias opened the door leading into the pool and walked in. Jacob was at the far end of the pool swimming slowly in a circle. It was strange, for the first time that Mattias could remember he actually noticed that Jacob had some muscle to him. Not the outrageous muscles like a body builder but more like that of a smaller baseball player, somewhere between baseball build and swimmers build. He also noticed a thin curved birth mark creeping out from Jacob's shorts near his left hip. Mattias wondered what had him so preoccupied to not notice these things. He had been in the locker room when they changed back in high school. 'Oh well it's not worth thinking about now.' Mattias thought to himself. Jacob looked over and saw Mattias. Mattias motioned for him to get out of the pool. Jacob swam over to the ladder by Mattias and began to climb out. As always the water created a bit of suction and tugged his shorts down some. It revealed a small portion of the upper section of his ass. Mattias quickly changed his glance to Jacob's face.

"What's up Mattias?" Jacob asked as he headed for his towel and clothes.

"I heard what was clearly a battle between Kelly's forces and a group of survivors." Mattias replied grimly.

"Shit. They don't stand a chance if they've pissed her off. What the hell are we gonna do?" Jacob asked.

"We are gonna gear up and stand watch in the lobby. Its the only thing that we can do at this point." Mattias replied heading out of the pool room as Jacob started taking his shorts off.

"Ok I guess I will meet you out there." Jacob said to him as he left.

'That was strange. I wonder what's up besides the battle out there.' Jacob thought to himself as he dried off his naked body. He saw Harry, Holden, Claire, and Liam run past the windows without stopping. Louis however looked in and came to an instant stop. He then opened the door to the pool room and went in. He was just staring at Jacob looking him up and down. Jacob wasn't a bad looking guy he was slightly tan and rather fair skinned. He had his small birth mark, but other than that he had nothing else to speak of that would compromise the picture perfect skin he had. His hair was well kept short with a slight tail off to the right side of the back of his head. His green eyes the color of the deep sea, the two pools could draw anyone in if they looked into them long enough. He stood about 5'10" tall. Louis had no idea why but he couldn't help but sweep his eyes across Jacob's entire body.

"Are you done raping me with you eyes yet or do I need to give you some more time?" Jacob asked Louis as he stood up and dried his hair.

"Ummm.... Sorry I didn't mean to be doing that, well I mean I wasn't raping you with my eyes." Louis replied awkwardly.

"Its alright I mean I can understand you checking me out since Harry is obviously being difficult with you right now. But I need you to understand that I am waiting to see if I have a chance with someone else. Ok?" Jacob said to him in a sincere voice.

"Oh, no worries dude I wouldn't try to go for you unless like you were ok with it or whatever. Besides I don't think Harry is gay." Louis replied to him.

"Well you wont know unless you ask. Besides no one knows I'm gay but you so ya lets keep that on the down low if we can." Jacob told him.

"So you're saying that I need to talk with Harry to put this thing to rest?" Louis asked him.

"Yep that's pretty much what I'm saying." Jacob replied getting dressed again.

"Ok I will. What about you, are you gonna go ask that special someone?" Louis replied.

"I haven't found him yet." Was all Jacob said before heading out into the lobby.

The entire group had gathered to retrieve their weapons and heavy gear. Mattias was distributing it to everyone. If it came down to it they would throw down their lives to keep the undead from reaching the presidential suite where Niall was resting. None of them wanted it to come to that but if it did they were ready for it. Jacob was the last one to get their gear. Mattias gave him a questioning look when he handed him his gear. Jacob did a small smile and walked away to suit up and get to his position by the main doors. Mattias was worried about him. He didn't know why but he was and that wasn't normal.

Victor had been running for a while after the gunfire had ended. The settlement had just come into view and he started running faster and harder than ever before. When he reached the gates he was greeted by Harold who looked none too pleased with the situation at hand. He gestured for Victor to follow him. The two went into the settlement and headed straight for the police station. Once inside Victor explained everything to Harold in the old interrogation room. When he was done Harold left him alone in the room. A few hours later Harold and four guards reentered the room. Harold had the guards bind Victors hands and escort him to the yard outside the police station. it was where all trials took place in the settlement and Victor knew it meant the worst for him.

"We are gathered here tonight to render judgement upon Sgt. Victor for abandoning his comrades out there. As is tradition here you will decide his fate." Harold bellowed to the people gathered for the trial.

Cries for execution rang out in the crowd. But luckily for Victor the cries for exile were louder. Exile meant he would leave armed with a knife and orders to never return. Within the hour he was standing outside the wall with only the clothes on his back and a kitchen knife. He turned his back on the settlement and wandered aimlessly through the city streets. After many hours he found himself lost in the twisting streets.

"Sir." A soldier said.

"Yes Corporal?" The General replied.

"We have lost another detachment in the city." The Corporal replied.

"Where was this one?" The General asked.

"Near one of the old clinics, sir." The Corporal replied.

"Interesting." The General said.


	6. Dawn Arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Army makes contact with Harold. Kelly sends an offense against Harold. Jacob falls into a slump. Niall is moving again. Mattias deals with a new group.

Harold was standing atop the police station again like he did sometimes. He was looking out across the city scanning for Kelly. What he found instead shocked him. It had been a month since the failed attack on the clinic and no sign of Kelly, or Victor. But now he saw a convoy of five Humvees coming right for his settlement. He ordered for the gates to be opened and everyone assembled at the yard for the arrival of the army. Harold made his way to the front of the crowd as the Humvees came to a stop inside the settlement. The gates closed behind the last Humvee. Soldiers got out of each Humvee and formed a semi-circle facing out from the third Humvee. A man who could be nothing less than the officer in charge stepped out of the Humvee and came to the front of the other soldiers.

"Who is the leader of this group?" Asked the officer.

"That would be me." Harold said taking a step forward.

"What's your name?" The officer asked.

"Harold." He told the officer.

"Alright Harold we are here to accomplish two goals today. Do you have somewhere we can discuss the matters in private?" The officer responded.

"Yes if you will come with me I have somewhere we can talk." Harold said turning to lead them to the police station.

They officer followed Harold with two of his soldiers. Harold was followed by two of the settlements guards. The rest of the officer's soldiers stood watch around the Humvees while Harold's guards went back to watch duty around the settlement. The talk around camp was all about the army now. All sorts of ideas had surfaced about the army now. Conspiracy theories about how they were behind the fall of the world. Yet at the same time there were ideas that the army had nothing to do with it and they were just trying to maintain order now that the world had fallen. No one could even come close to the truth however. It was a secret that would more than likely never see the light of day. Once inside the police station the officer began to explain his offers.

"First of all I need you to understand that I am here under the direct orders of The General." The officer told Harold.

"Ok, this is the first I have ever heard of the Army still being in the area. Let alone someone known as The General." Harold responded intrigued by the events unfolding before him.

"First off we are extending our hand in an offer of mutual benefit. We are proposing that your settlement enter into an agreement to open trade and intel opportunities with the military facility of Nellis Air Force Base." The officer explained to Harold.

"So what exactly would we be doing other than clearly trading resources such as food, ammo, medical supplies, and most importantly water?" Harold asked the man.

"We would ask that you keep us informed of situations in the city. Such as zombie hives, or nests, and other survivor groups, or settlements. Along with the condition of the other settlements, such as, whether they are hostile, neutral, or friendly towards outsiders. This information will allow us to better operate within the city. In return we will also be able to make the city a safer place for you and your people." The officer explained in a monotone voice as if he were part of the army's law division.

"Alright I believe we can agree upon that." Harold told the Officer.

"Good. Now is there any intel you wish to divulge to me at this point in time?" The officer asked Harold.

"Two things come to mind. But before I share them I have one question for you." Harold responded.

"Name it." The officer replied.

"If we are to better continue in this partnership it would be beneficial if I knew your name, correct?" Harold stated.

"This is true. I am Lt. Cromwell." He replied.

"Alright Lt. Cromwell, I know of a hive and another settlement in the city not far from here. The hive is located in an old clinic to the southwest. The settlement is located at the old hotel to the southeast, you cant miss it. its the ten story tower with the large concrete wall." Harold offered up.

"How many people are at this other settlement? Are they hostile?" Lt. Cromwell asked.

"I have never been there personally but they were here once I saw six here. Small group seemed friendly enough at the time, they were looking for one of their own. From how they acted I would say no more than fifteen people." Harold responded making sure to leave out the details of the siren's involvement with the group.

"Thank you for the information, we will look into both matters. Now for the second offer." Lt. Cromwell said.

"Do continue, you have piqued my curiosity." Harold said with a smile.

"We are prepared to give you one of the Humvees in exchange for anything you might know of an army detachment that went missing after meeting survivors here in the city." Lt. Cromwell stated calmly.

"They probably suffered the same fate as my squad I sent to eradicate the hive." Harold told him coldly.

"So you have lost some people recently?" Lt. Cromwell asked.

"About a month ago if my memory serves me correctly." Harold told him.

"That would be the same time that we lost our men. Then that settles it the hive had to have overpowered them after all. Thank you Harold you have been very helpful. Now if you will excuse me I must return to The General to report my findings." Lt. Cromwell said as he got up to leave.

"Happy to help." Harold told him.

The Lt. and his men left the police station and returned to the Humvees. They got into them and headed back out the gates returning to Nellis. They made sure to leave behind one Humvee as was agreed upon for the information received. Harold stood atop the police station watching them go. He was thinking about how events were changing rather rapidly here in the city. First this new group showed up on his doorstep and now this mysterious figure who called himself The General. Time would reveal what was to happen with the three groups. Then again he also had to take into consideration the fact of the siren still being a major player in this game. He snapped out of his deep train of thought when he heard the warning blare from the guard tower. He looked out across the city and saw the tide of grunts and brutes charging towards the settlements walls. The Guards were retreating back inside the walls. They then went to their defensive positions atop the wall and in the towers. As soon as they were within range the guards opened fire upon the undead horde.

"EVERYONE GET TO THE WALLS! WE HAVE TO HOLD THE TIDE!" Harold bellowed at the settlement.

People came from all across the settlement to answer the rallying call. Defend the settlement or fall to the undead. It was a simple decision. Gunfire and explosions rang out all along the wall. Harold grabbed his m16 and went to the wall. Joining his people he fired upon the undead swarming the walls. As bullets flew chunks and fragments of the undead were sent through the air. The grunts were being put down at a fast rate, the brutes on the other hand were a whole other story. There were six in total and it looked as if only one of them were being harmed from all the gunfire. Two were already climbing the immense walls. As the last grunt fell unmoving the defenders turned their fire to the brutes alone. It was too late however the first two were now on the walls and the others were climbing. People started retreating into the settlement and firing on the brutes. They were being scattered. Divide and conquer. Now two brutes were inside the settlement, two were on the walls, and the other two still climbing the walls. Harold turned and watched as he heard cheers. The wounded brute was brought down by a combined effort. He fell unmoving to the ground. It was a victory in itself. Then he heard the brutes let forth their cries and it was as if they had entered a blood rage at the death of one of their own. The tow on the walls leapt to the ground and charged survivors. Three inside the walls and two still climbing. People formed groups and focused on the three brutes. The combined fire power doing immense damage. Chunks of rotting flesh flew through the air. Still it was not without sacrifice, blood and screams filled the air as brutes took their victims.

Harold turned his attention back to the walls and found himself being charged by a brute. Utterly alone on the wall he had no choice but to face the beast head on. He raised his rifle and opened up on the oncoming beast. It wasn't doing much other than pissing the damned thing off. When he heard the click click click of the empty mag he threw the rifle aside and pulled his m1911 and fired at the beast. It flew at him in a rage coming at him faster than anything he had ever seen. As he fired his last shot he watched the brutes skull split from the impact. Harold pulled his knife and charged the brute. It slammed into him and the two tumbled over the side of the wall.

Victor found himself near an old Walmart on the far side of the city. He couldn't remember how he got there or how to get back to where he came from. Come to think of it he had no clue where he came from. He knew the world had ended, and he knew that he was the head of the guards for a settlement. But for some reason he knew he was kicked out, the only thing he didn't know was where from. He decided to go into the old Walmart and try to find a map. maybe then he could find something that would jog his memory. He walked in through the main doors and was met by the familiar smell of the undead. He wasn't alone in here, and he wasn't about to leave without looking for a map. With his knife in hand he began searching the long dark old store.

The attack never came for the hotel. The group had stood ready in the lobby for two days before they ventured outside. When they finally did the courtyard had twenty-nine fully armed and armored corpses strewn about. Mattias and Liam went to work taking what equipment would benefit the group and storing it in the lock up. Now a month later things had fallen into a routine. Most of the day Harry and Louis patrolled the courtyard, Holden and Claire collected water from the rain barrels and stored it in bottles, Zayn and Niall went out on scavenging missions when they needed to, Liam was on the roof looking out over the city through the scope of a sniper, Mattias spent his time in the casino going over the map they had made looking over what they had searched and what they hadn't, and Jacob filled in where he was needed. Then one day they heard the gunfire and explosions off in the distance. The group assembled on the roof top. Mattias and Liam looked out across the city to where the sounds were coming from. It was the settlement they visited when they searched for Jacob.

"They don't stand much of a chance if this is Kelly's doing." Liam said.

"They stand a better chance than we would." Mattias told him.

"Why do you think they have any chance at all?" Liam asked him.

"They have more fire power and greater numbers than we do. Besides I'm sure Harold is the kind of man who can survive an assault from Kelly's forces." Mattias replied.

"Should we try to assist them?" Louis asked.

"No, not this time. We wont get there in time to do anything for them. Besides Harold told us he didn't need extra guns inside his walls." Mattias said looking out across the city.

The others went back into the hotel leaving Mattias and Jacob on the roof top. Mattias thought he was alone so he continued looking out across the city.

"What could she be planning? If only Steven hadn't died, maybe then she wouldn't have thrown her life away. No it was my fault. I should have just stayed behind, it was my job to protect them all and I failed her. I failed them all." Mattias said aloud to himself (or so he thought).

"It's not your fault Mattias you couldn't have known this would be the outcome." Jacob said moving over and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry Jacob I didn't know you were still here." Mattias said.

"It's better that I was because now at least someone knows what you're going through when you are off by yourself. You don't have to bear this burden alone. You need to understand that we are all here for you no matter what. Kelly made her choice, and that was to save all of us by sacrificing herself. There was nothing any of us could do. I learned that when I went on my little journey." Jacob told him.

"It's just hard accepting that. I promised to keep you all safe and I failed in high school. After that I made a vow to never let anyone or anything hurt you guys again. By letting Kelly die I feel that I failed that vow." Mattias said turning to face Jacob.

"You've got to let that go man, before it eats you alive. You need to move on and heal." Jacob told him.

"How can you keep looking to me for strength when I let Kelly die?" Mattias asked him.

"Mattias it's very simple. I look to you for strength because when the world went to shit you were the one to pull me out of the fire. Not Holden, not Claire, not Kelly, YOU. You have never given up on anything the entire time I have known you. If anyone can make it through this shit storm its gonna be you. Because you are the strongest person I have ever met. You don't let people get down when its looking rough. You slap the thought from our head pick us up and get us moving again. That's what you do Mattias, you save lives by being you. And by god if I have to be the one to drag you out of this hole so help me I will." Jacob said to Mattias trying to encourage him.

"At least one of us has faith in me still." Mattias said before turning and walking away.

Jacob stood there unable to comprehend the fact of what just happened. Never in a million years would Jacob have thought that he would live to see the day that Mattias gave up. He stood there and wondered how much longer he would last in this world if it could so easily defeat Mattias who by far was a stronger man than him. Jacob walked back into the stairwell and walked all the way back to the fourth floor. When he exited the stair well into the hallway he walked to his room. The rest of the group were in the hall sharing stories of better times. They fell silent when they saw how completely defeated Jacob looked as he walked by them back to his room. He didn't even acknowledge their existence as he passed them by. It hit everyone a little hard. Even though some hadn't known him that long the group had become a family. It hurt everyone when one member was feeling down. Kelly's death struck hard, it was the first real connection they had to death since the end. Now everyone could see that Jacob had lost hope and was giving up on it all. Harry and Louis looked to Holden when Jacob passed by, the expression on their faces was a question of what to do. Zayn pulled Niall a little closer and held him tighter as the feeling sank into him. Liam watched Jacob walk, his face a slate of stone, but if one looked close enough they could see the sorrow. Claire lost all the cheerfulness she usually had and stared at her broken friend. Holden was a statue, unmoving and lost in what he saw.

Niall pulled free of Zayn's grip and started down the hallway after Jacob. Zayn went to go after him but Louis and Harry stopped him shaking their heads. Liam put a hand on Zayn's shoulder to comfort him. Claire left Holden's side and went into their room. Holden stayed where he was unable to do anything just frozen in shock as he was. Liam turned and went to look for Mattias. Louis and Harry walked Zayn into his room and grabbed the game of life to distract him.

Liam found Mattias in the managers office in the lobby. He was working with the announcement system. Mattias had repaired it and gotten it to run off of the solar power running the generators. What he was trying to do now was he wanted to find out how to get the thing to be on all the time so he could easily broadcast things through the entire hotel including both the courtyard and the roof top. He tested his work and sure enough he had rigged it to be on all the time now. He turned on a radio cd player and started playing music for the entire hotel. Now that he had accomplished his goal he exited the office and spoke with Liam in the hallway.

"What's up Liam?" Mattias asked.

"Jacob seems more than a little upset." Liam told him.

"I'm sure he will be fine. He just needs time he will come around." Mattias told him.

"You didn't see him Mattias. I'm telling you he looked like a guy who just gave up." Liam said.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Mattias asked Liam now getting a little pissed off.

"He's your fucking friend, you could at least try and show a little compassion for him. For fucks sake you are the reason that kid is still alive you fucking dick." Liam shot at him angrily.

"It's not my job to try and make him feel better. He did this once before he will pull through again. Trust me on this one." Mattias told him.

"Fine I guess you have changed since Kelly's death." Liam said walking away.

"What the hell gives you the right to judge me?" Mattias said going after him.

"Well from all the stories I have heard about you from all of them you used to care a lot about them. You were the guy who would do anything for them no matter what was going on. even if it was just a talk they needed to hear. You were the guy who made them feel safe and like they actually mattered to someone other than their family." Liam said.

"Have you ever thought that maybe I cant do it all all the time? I failed Kelly for gods sake. I'm not perfect I don't know that I can keep telling them everything will be ok. Because you know what I don't know that anymore." Mattias told him.

"Ya but you are who they look up to. If you give up then its over for them." Liam replied.

"So what do you want me to do? Lie to them?" Mattias asked.

"I want you to keep hope if not for yourself for them. Because damnit someone needs to and you're the one they look to. I hold my friends together and your friends look to you to hold them together." Liam responded.

"I cant do that right now." Mattias said turning and walking out the main door.

Liam shook his head and went back into the stairwell. Liam climbed the stairs back to the fourth floor. When he reached the fourth floor he went into Zayn's room to see what they were doing. He ended up sitting and waiting for the next game of life to start up so he could join them. Down the Hall in Jacob's room Niall was having a difficult talk with him.

"Hey Jacob, you got a minute?" Niall asked as he entered the room. Jacob was sitting in a corner hugging his knees.

"Sure." Jacob said quietly.

"I know things are getting rough around here. We don't understand most of it but still we need to hold it together." Niall told him.

"You might be the closest person to understanding what I'm going through." Jacob told him.

"And what's that bud?" Niall asked him.

"The one person that I care about more than anyone else has lost faith in all of this. The one who was supposed to be able to with stand it all." Jacob said tears coming to his eyes.

"Hey you cant let that get you down. I mean look at how I used to be." Niall told him.

"Yes but you are with that person now. That's how you got passed it. I cant do that." Jacob told him tears running down his face.

Mattias was out by the gates looking across what little of the city he could see. He thought for a split second that he saw movement off to the right of the gates. But when he looked nothing was there. He turned to walk away when he heard glass crunch under boot. He swung around and pulled his pistol.

"Come out from your hiding spot." Mattias said.

Slowly a group of three young men and three young women stepped out into Mattias' view. He lowered his gun when he saw they had their hands in the air and weapons on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Mattias asked them.

"We have been traveling for along time and we just want to be somewhere safe where there are more people." One of the men said.

"Well we have people here but I cant guarantee your safety." Mattias said.

"Its better than huddling in some blown out storefront." The man said.

"Ok but you cause trouble we will put you down, understood?" Mattias told them.

"Fair enough." The man said.

Mattias unlocked and opened the gates. He lead the group to the fifth floor and told them they could stay there until the others were ready to meet with them.

Off across the city at Harold's settlement the battle came to an end as the last brute fell lifeless to the ground. The survivors cheered for the victory. It came at a great cost that no one would ever forget. they lost a third of their people in the assault. They began gathering there dead for the burning. They searched for Harold inside the walls but no one could find him. Then the gate screeched open as someone opened it from the outside. When the figure came through the opening people gasped at what they saw. Harold stood before them with his left arm gone from the elbow down and the head of a brute in his right hand.

"From this day forth we know that the Bulwark will stand the tests of the Siren." Harold bellowed before collapsing on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well you've lasted through it all. This is it for part 1. Thanks for sticking it out this long. Part 2 will come soon.


End file.
